Apparatus for treating a wellbore screen and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and methods for applying an inner coating to a wellbore screen are described. The apparatus comprises a support for the wellbore screen, an elongate injector for injecting coating material into the inner bore of the wellbore screen, and a driver for positioning the elongate injector into the inner bore and moving the elongate injector through the inner bore to introduce coating material to the inner bore. The elongate injector has a supported end, a distal end, and a coating material delivery line extending through the elongate injector from a coating material supply to a port at the distal end.

FIELD

The invention relates to an apparatus and methods for treating wellborescreens. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus andmethods for applying an internal coating to a wellbore screen.

BACKGROUND

Various wellbore tubulars are known and serve various purposes. Awellbore screen is a tubular including a screen material forming ormounted in the tubular's wall. The wellbore screen can be used inwellbores such as those for water, steam injection and/or petroleumproduct production.

In one form, a wellbore screen is known that includes a wall of screenmaterial held between end fittings. The wall includes screen materialthat may take various forms and is usually supported in some way, as bya perforated sleeve. These screens filter fluids passing through thescreen material layer either into or out of the screen inner diameter.

In another form, a wellbore screen is an apparatus that can include abase pipe and a plurality of filter cartridges supported in the basepipe. The filter cartridges are mounted in openings through the basepipe wall. The filter cartridges screen fluids passing through theopenings into the base pipe for pumping or flow up hole. Of course, theopenings may be formed and/or employed to also permit flow of fluidsoutwardly therethrough from the inner diameter of the base pipe.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an apparatus for treating a wellbore screen with a coatingmaterial, the apparatus comprising: a support for the wellbore screen,the support supporting an outer surface of the wellbore screen andpresenting the wellbore screen with open access to its inner bore, asdefined by an inner tubular wall of the wellbore screen; an elongateinjector for injecting coating material into the inner bore of thewellbore screen, the elongate injector including a supported end, adistal end, and a coating material delivery line extending through theelongate injector from a coating material supply to a port at the distalend; and a driver for positioning the elongate injector into the innerbore and moving the elongate injector through the inner bore tointroduce coating material to the inner bore such that the coatingmaterial can be distributed on to the inner tubular wall of the wellborescreen.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a method for treating a wellbore screen, the method comprising:providing a wellbore screen including a tubular wall with an innertubular surface defining an inner bore, an outer tubular surface and ascreening component installed to screen fluid passing through thetubular wall from the outer tubular surface to the inner bore; insertingan elongate injector into the inner bore; introducing a coating materialin the form of a liquid via the elongate injector into the inner bore;distributing the coating material onto the inner tubular surface suchthat the coating material penetrates to some extent into the screeningcomponent from the inner tubular surface; and allowing the coatingmaterial to set to form a removable seal across the screening componentin the inner diameter.

It is to be understood that other aspects of the present invention willbecome readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdetailed description, wherein various embodiments of the invention areshown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, theinvention is capable for other and different embodiments and its severaldetails are capable of modification in various other respects, allwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.Accordingly the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded asillustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Drawings are included for the purpose of illustrating certain aspects ofthe invention. Such drawings and the description thereof are intended tofacilitate understanding and should not be considered limiting of theinvention. Drawings are included, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus in an initial position forapplying a coating material to the inner diameter of a wellbore tubular;

FIG. 2 is a top, plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of an apparatus in a mid process position forapplying a coating material to the inner diameter of a wellbore tubular;

FIG. 4 is a top, plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section along line H-H of FIGS. 1 and 3;

FIG. 6 is a section along line N-N of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a magnified view of the area T of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a magnified view of the area S of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a magnified view of the area M of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a magnified view of the area V of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a section along line Y-Y of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12a is a section along line F-F of FIG. 4 showing one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 12b is a section along line F-F of FIG. 4 showing anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a side elevation of one wellbore tubular useful in thepresent invention; and

FIG. 14 is a section along line II-II of FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of thepresent invention and is not intended to represent the only embodimentscontemplated by the inventor. The detailed description includes specificdetails for the purpose of providing a comprehensive understanding ofthe present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that the present invention may be practiced without thesespecific details.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 12 b, an apparatus is shown and a method isdescribed for applying a coating material to a wellbore screen. Theapparatus and method can be employed to form a wellbore screen with aninner coating. In one embodiment, the wellbore screen 2 includes atubular wall including an inner tubular surface defining an inner bore,an outer tubular surface and a screening component installed to screenfluid passing through the tubular wall from the outer tubular surface tothe inner bore; and a coating on the inner tubular surface embedded intothe screening component from the inner tubular surface, the coatingsubstantially sealing against fluid passage through the screeningcomponent until the coating is at least partially removed.

The wellbore screen may be produced by a method comprising: providing awellbore screen including a tubular wall with an inner tubular surfacedefining an inner bore, an outer tubular surface and a screeningcomponent installed to screen fluid passing through the tubular wallfrom the outer tubular surface to the inner bore; introducing a coatingmaterial in the form of a liquid into the inner bore; distributing thecoating material onto the inner tubular surface such that it penetratesto some extent into the screening component; and allowing the coatingmaterial to set to form a removable seal across the screening componentin the inner diameter. The word “liquid” as used herein includes liquid,semifluid and colloid. A semifluid is a substance with flow propertiesthat are between those of solids and liquids.

The coating material is in the form of a liquid so that it can bedistributed, such as for example by spreading or spraying, on the innerwall. In one embodiment, the viscosity of the liquid can be selectedsuch that it tends not to rapidly migrate once introduced to the screen.For example, if the liquid has a low viscosity it may pour out of thetubular through the screening component as it is introduced. However,the viscosity of the liquid coating material can be selected such thatthe material introduced can be distributed onto the surface of the innerwall of the screen and can penetrate to some extent into the screeningcomponent, but is sufficiently viscous such that it remains in placeonce distributed. As will be appreciated, this ability to reliably placethe coating material may also be achieved by selecting a liquid thatrapidly moves through a phase change from liquid to solid when atemperature difference is encountered.

In this invention, the coating material may take various forms providedit can be handled in a liquid state and will set to a substantiallysolid form capable of creating a removable seal across the screeningcomponent. The coating material should have a repeatable phase changebetween solid and liquid such that it can be brought to a liquid stateand will set to a solid state under predictable conditions of time andtemperature. When in place and set in the wellbore screen, the coatingmaterial creates a substantial seal against fluid flow through thescreening component, such that the screen acts as a tubular capable ofholding pressures greater than would be otherwise possible if thecoating material was not in place in the screening component. However,the coating material is removable to open the screening component tofluid flow therethrough. The coating material may be a polymer, a resin,a salt, a wax, or a combination thereof, etc. and may be removable byvarious means such as chemical breakdown, dissolution, solubilization,melting, etc. For example, the coating material may be a polymer removedby acid treatment, it may be a salt removed by solubilization in aliquid such as water, it may be wax removed by melting, etc.

In one embodiment, the coating material may be a wax such as paraffinwax. One useful wax has a repeatable phase change from solid to liquidbetween 50 to 90° C., such as a phase change from solid at 55° C. to 85°C. This wax also exhibits an extrudable and spreadable viscosity (i.e.of about 1000 to 1000000 centipoises) at a temperature of 65 to 75° C.When wax melts it is miscible in oil and wax can be removed from thesurface of the wellbore screen, including the screening component,leaving substantially no residue. The crystalline structure, if any, ofwax in the melted form is small enough to pass through a typicalwellbore screening component without clogging, but forms a solid ofsubstantial strength such that a pressure holding structure can beformed by infiltration of the wax into the screening component.

Depending on the coating material, the properties of the coatingmaterial may have to be adjusted to ensure the viscosity is appropriate.For example, the coating material may have to be heated before beingintroduced to the inner diameter or before being distributed.Alternately, or in addition, the method may include heating the wellborescreen before introducing the coating material to the inner diameter sothat the coating material remains liquid once it contacts the materialof the wellbore screen. The method may further include cooling and/orremoving heat from the wellbore screen to facilitate the setting of thecoating material.

Spreading or spraying the coating material onto the inner wall ensuresthat a substantially uniform coating is applied to the inner wall andthe coating material penetrates into the screening material to somedegree. The spreading procedure may also be configured to remove excesscoating material from the inner diameter.

The method may include rotating the screen until the coating material isallowed to set. The screen may be rotated, for example, about its longaxis to prevent the coating material from migrating by gravity to a lowspot while it remains a liquid, until the coating material sets.Alternatively or additionally, the method may include rotationallyspraying the coating material about the screen's long axis onto theinner wall.

The method can be carried out in various ways and by employing variousapparatus. One possible apparatus is shown in FIGS. 1 to 12 b.

The illustrated apparatus includes a support 40 for the wellbore screen2, the support supporting an outer surface of the wellbore screen andpresenting the wellbore screen with open access to its inner bore, asdefined by the wellbore screen inner tubular wall 16; an elongateinjector 42, also called a boom, for injecting coating material into theinner bore of the wellbore screen, the elongate injector being supportedon a boom base 41 and including a supported end and a distal end; acoating material delivery line 56 extending through the elongateinjector from a coating material supply 58 to the distal end; aninjector head at or near the distal end 43; and a driver 54 forpositioning the inner bore of the wellbore screen about the elongateinjector and moving the elongate injector through the inner bore todistribute coating material onto the inner tubular wall of the wellborescreen. In particular, the driver 54 operates to drive the wellborescreen relative to the injector to position the elongate injector in theinner bore and move the elongate injector through the inner bore tointroduce coating material from the injector to the inner bore.

In one embodiment, for example, the driver 54 is incorporated with thescreen support 40 and together they form a driving base on which thescreen is supported and along which the screen can be movedsubstantially in line with the screen's long axis. In this way, thescreen can be moved along a drive axis in a forward direction (asillustrated by an arrow P) and in a reverse direction (as illustrated byan arrow R) while the inner bore remains substantially concentric withthe drive axis.

In a further embodiment, the driver 54 includes a drive mechanism, suchas a chain or belt drive. In the illustrated embodiment, the drivemechanism comprises a motor 51, a pair of chains 52, and two pairs ofsprockets 53. One pair of sprockets 53 is positioned at or near one endof the screen support, while the other pair of sprockets is positionedat or near the other end of the screen support. Each sprocket isconnected to the screen support near a lengthwise side of the screensupport, and a face of the sprocket is substantially parallel to a faceof the other sprocket in the pair. Each sprocket is connected to thedriving in such a manner that allows the sprocket to rotate about itscentral axis, for example by extending an axle through an aperture onthe lengthwise side of the screen support and through the central axisof the sprocket. Bearings may be disposed at the interface between theaxle and the aperture, or between the axle and the sprocket, to allowthe sprocket to rotate relative to the side of the screen support. In afurther embodiment, the axle extends through both sprockets and bothsides of the screen support at at least one end of the screen support.Of course, there may be other methods of rotatably connecting thesprockets to the screen support.

The motor 51 is configured to control the rotation of at least one pairof sprockets. In the illustrated embodiment, motor 51 is disposed nearone pair of sprockets at one end of the screen support. A second motormay be disposed at the other end of the screen support, and each motorcan operate independently and/or simultaneously, and each can beselectively utilized. Motor 51 may be directly connected to the axle(s)of the at least one pair of sprockets for rotating same. Motor 51 may bepositioned in between the sprockets but not necessarily, as long as themotor is capable of controlling the rotation movement of the sprocketsfrom wherever the motor is positioned. Motor 51 may be controlledlocally or remotely. Motor 51 may also include a variable speed controland/or rotation direction control.

The distance between each pair of sprockets is preferably substantiallythe same as that of the other pair. Each of the chains 52 is meshed withone of the sprockets at each end of the screen support, such that thechains are substantially parallel to each other. The chains 52preferably span across substantially the entire length of the screensupport. The chains 52 are meshed with the sprockets 53, such that whenat least one pair of sprockets is rotated, the chains 52 move relativeto the screen support in line with the long axis of the screen support.In another embodiment, a belt may be used instead of chains 52. The belthas a width that is sufficient to span across and to mesh with each pairof sprockets at each end of the screen support. Alternatively, a singlesprocket having a width substantially the same as that of the belt mayreplace the pair of sprockets at each end of the screen support.

The drive mechanism includes a fitting 55 is for engaging an end of thescreen, for example, by threading to the threaded pin or box end of thescreen. The use of threaded ends, as will be appreciated, is typical ofa wellbore tubular such as a screen. In an alternative embodiment, thefitting includes a chuck, such as a scroll chuck, for engaging an end ofthe screen. The fitting 55 is connected to the drive mechanism in orderto transfer the motion of the drive mechanism to the screen. In oneembodiment, fitting 55 is connected to a section of the chains 52, sothat when the chains move as a result of the rotation of the sprockets,fitting 55 moves with the chains. The drive mechanism is thereby capableof driving the engaged screen axially along the drive axis in both theforward direction P and reverse direction R, by switching the directionof the motor (if there is only one motor) or by alternating theoperation of the motors (if there are two motors). The fitting may beattached to the chains in various ways, including for example byfasteners, adhesives, bonding, welding, etc. The fitting maybe removablyattached to the chains such that the fitting may be interchanged foraccommodating screens of various sizes and/or for the purpose of repairsand maintenance.

The fitting 55 may also include a mechanism for rotating the screenabout its long axis. For example, the fitting may engage the screen todrive it axially along the drive axis and have a pipe rotator componentto drive the screen rotationally about the screen's long axis. In oneembodiment, the rotator component is a motor; however, other similarmechanisms may be used as well. The rotator component may include avariable speed control and/or rotation direction control.

The drive mechanism also includes a plurality of rollers 50 on which thescreen can be supported. The rollers may support any movement of thescreen relative to the screen support, whether axially or rotationally.The rollers 50 are attached to chains 52 and may be positionedintermittently or continuously along chains 52. In the illustratedembodiment, the rollers are carried on roller supports which areattached to chains 52 at substantially equally spaced-apart intervals atlong chains 52. The rollers and/or roller supports may be attached tothe chains in various ways, including for example by fasteners,adhesives, bonding, welding, etc. In one embodiment, the rollers aremetal wheels; however, other similar mechanisms and/or materials thatcan withstand heat (for example, up to approximately 250° C.) may alsobe used for the rollers.

In one embodiment, the rollers are attached to chains 52 in such amanner that when the fitting 55 is at or near one end of the screensupport 40, the rollers are on an upper surface of chains 52 forsupporting substantially the full length of the screen above the screensupport. As the drive mechanism drives the screen in the forwarddirection P, the rollers also move with the chains and, one by one, asthe rollers reach the other end of the screen support, they disengagefrom screen and move with the chains peripherally around the sprockets53 to a lower surface. As such, the screen support 40 is configured toprovide sufficient clearance for the rollers to move therethrough on thelower surface of the chains.

Even if the driver engages the wellbore screen at one end, the innerbore remains open at at least the other end of the screen and can beaccessed at that other end of the screen.

The elongate injector handles the coating materials and operates toinject the coating material into the inner bore of the wellbore screen.In the illustrated embodiment, the driver drives the wellbore screentoward the distal end, with the inner bore in alignment with the longaxis of the injector until the inner bore telescopes substantiallyconcentrically over the distal end, for example as illustrated by ascreen portion 2 a in FIGS. 3 and 4. The injector may be selected tohave a length from the supported end to the distal end, that is at leastequal with the length of the portion of the screen to be coated. Forexample, in one embodiment, the screen may be over 100 feet long, withthe screen component supported along almost that full length and theinjector is at least that long.

The elongate injector can be supported on a support frame 41, alsocalled a boom base. The distal end is the portion of the injector thatcan be inserted to access the full screen component supporting-length ofthe wellbore tubular. A coating material delivery line 56 (FIGS. 12a and12b ) therefore extends through the elongate injector from a coatingmaterial supply to a delivery port at the distal end. The delivery line56 may be disposed inside an outer tubing 66. The outer surface of outertubing 66 includes radially projecting boom supports 67 for supportingthe boom on the support frame 41, or on the inner tubular wall of thescreen while the elongate injector is inserted into the screen. The boomsupports 67 may assist in aligning the central axis of the screen withthat of the elongate injector.

In one embodiment, the coating material supply may be a tank, a hopper,etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus is selected to handlewax as a coating material and the coating material supply includes ahopper 58 for accepting a supply of solid wax and a wax extruder 60including a heater to convert the wax to a substantially liquid form andan auger to force the liquified wax into the injector's delivery line.In the illustrated embodiment, the flow direction of the coatingmaterial in the delivery line is indicated by an arrow C.

In one embodiment, for example as illustrated in the Figures, thesupport frame 41 includes a plurality of rollers 63 on which the screencan be supported as the elongate injector is inserted into the screen.The rollers 63 may be supported by roller supports. The rollers and/orroller supports may be positioned intermittently or continuously alongsubstantially the entire length of the support frame. The rollers 63 areconfigured to support both axial and rotational movements of the screen.The rollers and/or roller supports may be attached to the support frame41 in various ways, including for example by fasteners, adhesives,bonding, welding, etc. In one embodiment, the rollers are metal wheels;however, other similar mechanisms and/or materials that can withstandheat (for example, up to approximately 250° C.) may also be used for therollers.

While there is at least one port, there may be a plurality of ports atthe distal end through which the coating material is extruded from thedelivery line and introduced to the inner bore.

In one embodiment, for example as illustrated in FIG. 12a , an injectorhead 49 carried on the distal end 43 includes at least one delivery port44 for delivering coating material to the inner tubular of the wellborescreen and a spreader head 46 to spread the coating material introducedfrom the delivery port to the inner tubular wall of the wellbore screen.In one embodiment, the injector head includes a plurality of deliveryports arranged in a row. In a further embodiment, there are multiplerows of delivery ports around at least a portion of the circumference ofthe injector head, and the positions of the ports in adjacent rows maybe staggered or aligned.

In the illustrated embodiment, the injector head further comprisessupply ports 47, which are in communication with delivery line 56 tosupply an annulus 45 with coating material. Ports 47 may be one or moreseparate outlet channels, or a disc-like outlet that is in fluidcommunication with annulus 45 at almost its entire circumference.Annulus 45 is in communication with delivery ports 44 to substantiallyevenly distribute coating material among the delivery ports, such thatthe flow rate of coating material out of each of the delivery ports 44is substantially the same. In a further embodiment, annulus 45 is aspace that extends around circumferentially inside the injector headsuch that the annulus is in simultaneous communication with multipledelivery ports 44 around the injector head. In a still furtherembodiment, annulus 45 is a slot formed inside the injector head forcommunicating with a selected row of ports 44.

The portion of the injector head 49 that carries the delivery ports 44is sized and/or configured so that the ends of ports 44 from whichcoating material exits the injector head are positioned sufficientlyclose to the inner tubular wall, when the injector head is inserted intothe screen, such that the coating material can easily be applied to theinner tubular wall without requiring the coating material to exit thedelivery ports 44 at a high pressure. In one embodiment, the outlets ofthe delivery ports 44 are spaced from the inner tubular wall by adistance of approximately 1/16″± 1/64″. If wax is the coating material,the wax may be ejected from ports 44 at a pressure ranging between 1 to2000 psi.

In the illustrated embodiment, the spreader head 46 carried by theinjector head is generally cylindrical in shape and is made of flexibleand/or resilient materials such as for example, a sheet of spring steel,rubber, etc. At least a portion of spreader head 46 has an outerdiameter that is greater than the inner diameter of the screen, suchthat part of the outer surface of the spreader head urges against theinner tubular wall. In one embodiment, the spreader head includes aplurality of radially outwardly projections for engaging the innertubular wall and such projections may form ridges and/or rings on theouter surface of the spreader head. The projections may assist indistributing the coating material on the inner tubular wall and/or inpushing the coating material into the screening component. In oneembodiment, the spreader head has a groove formed on its outer surfacefor receiving a sealing ring. A sealing ring may be required if thecoating material has low viscosity in order to help prevent the coatingmaterial from seeping out the end of the injector, thereby allowing thespreader head 46 to have contact with more coating material and todistribute same on to the inner tubular wall more efficiently.

The injector head may further include a resilient member (not shown)such as squeegee blade that rides over the inner wall surface to wipeoff excess coating material and to drive the coating material into thescreening component. In a further embodiment, the elongate injectorincludes a resilient member (not shown) that rides over the outersurface of the screen for wiping off excess coating material.

In the illustrated embodiment, spreader head 46 is disposed on one endof the injector head 49. Injector head 49 may include a second spreaderhead 46′ at the other end. The second spreader head 46′ may beconfigured to serve the same function as spreader head 46, as describedabove. In a further embodiment, spreader heads 46 and 46′ are shapedsuch that injector head 49 tapers slightly at the ends, which mayfacilitate entry and withdrawal of the injector head into and out of thescreen. If the second spreader head is omitted from injector head 49,the end of the injector head without a spreader head may be formed totaper slightly to facilitate entry or withdrawal of the injector headinto or out of the screen. Whether one or both spreader heads should beincluded in the injector head depends on whether the coating material isinjected during the insertion and/or withdrawal of the elongate injectorinto and/or out of the screen, which will be described in detailhereinbelow.

In another embodiment, for example as illustrated in FIG. 12b , theinjector head 49 includes a spray head 72 with a plurality of ports 74for spraying coating material on to the inner tubular of the wellborescreen and a transfer tubing 76 for supplying the spray head withcoating material from the delivery line 56. The ports 74 extend from theinner surface to the outer surface of the spray head and may bepositioned circumferentially about the spray head such that the coatingmaterial may exit the spray head radially outwardly at various angles.In the further embodiment, the injector head includes a flexible and/orresilient member (not shown) that rides over the inner wall surface tospread coating material and/or wipe off excess coating material, and todrive the coating material into the screening component. Alternativelyor additionally, a resilient member (not shown) is provided to ride overthe outer surface of the screen for wiping off excess coating material.

In a further embodiment, the spray head is carried by a motor 78 forrotating the spray head about the injector's long axis. The spray headand the motor are sized so that they can move axially relative to thescreen within the inner bore and the spray head can rotate within theinner bore without any interference with the inner tubular wall. Thespray head may be rotated without or in addition to rotating the screenusing pipe rotator component 55 as described above. The rotation of thespray head helps distribute the coating material on to the inner tubularwall of the screen.

In illustrated embodiments, the injector may include a heater (notshown) along the length of the delivery line to ensure the wax remainssufficiently liquid. The injector includes an inner tube 64 throughwhich the wax moves and outer tubing 66 forming an annular space betweenthe inner tube and the outer tubing. Heaters, for example inductionheaters, may be installed in the annular space and may be operated tomaintain the wax at a selected temperature in the inner tube sufficientto prevent the wax from hardening therein. In one embodiment, heatersline substantially the full length of delivery line 56.

In the illustrated embodiments, intended for use to inject wax, theapparatus includes a heating element for heating the screen before thewax is injected therein. For example, a substantially annular externalheater 62 may be positioned substantially concentrically about thedistal end of the injector with a space therebetween to accommodate thescreen. In this configuration, as the injector is positioned in theinner bore, the external heater is adjacent and may surround the outersurface of the screen and can act to heat the screen from a positionadjacent its outer surface. The heater 62 may be positioned adjacenteither or both ends of the injector head 49 and may be selectivelyswitched on or off. A section of the screen is preferably heated byheater 62 before wax is injected therein. Therefore, if the wax is to bedistributed on to the inner tubular wall during the insertion of theinjector into the screen, as described in more detail hereinbelow, thenthe heater 62 should be positioned adjacent to the end of the injectorhead that is further away from the supported end. If the wax is to bedistributed on to the inner tubular wall during the withdrawal of theinjector from the screen, as described in more detail hereinbelow, thenthe heater 62 should be positioned adjacent to the end of the injectorhead that is closer to the supported end, for example as illustrated inFIG. 12a . If the wax is to be distributed on to the inner tubular wallduring both the insertion and withdrawal of the injector, thenpreferably a heater 62 is positioned adjacent each end of the injectorhead and is selectively turned on or off depending on the direction ofmovement of the injector relative to the screen, such that the screen isheated before the injection of wax therein.

If the injector includes a heater, as noted above as an option, thescreen can be heated from the inside and from the outside. By heatingthe screen, the surface can be prepared such that the wax does notimmediately harden when it is injected thereon. The wax can thereforeremain substantially liquid such that it can be spread and form asubstantially continuous seal infiltrated to some degree into thescreening component. For example, the external heater may be aninduction heater, a resistance heater, or a combination thereof. Theexternal heater can be controlled by thermocouples.

It can be appreciated that at least some of the parts of the apparatuscan be removably attached, such that they may be replaced and/or removedfor the purpose of maintenance and repairs.

The components of the apparatus, such as supports 40, 41, fitting 55,chains 52, sprockets 53, inner tube 64, and outer tubing 66, arepreferably made of materials that have sufficient structural integrityto support various loads and that can withstand high temperatures (forexample, up to approximately 250° C.). In one embodiment, supports 40and 41 are made of steel; fitting 55, chains 52, sprockets 53, and innertube 64 are made of stainless steel; and outer tubing 66 is made ofaluminum. Other materials that have similar physical properties as thosementioned above may also be used in the apparatus.

In operation of the apparatus, a screen 2 can be installed on thedriving base, supported by the rollers 50 and with the fitting securedto the screen such that the screen can be moved by the drive mechanism.The coating material can then be prepped for injection. Using wax, thecoating material can be supplied as a solid and melted and prepared forinjection to the screen. In the illustrated apparatus, the wax is meltedon an as needed basis from the hopper through the wax extruder. Theheaters in the elongate injector and the external heaters are operatedto generate heat. The heaters along the delivery line are operated asnecessary to maintain the liquid state of the coating material in thedelivery line.

The driver is then operated to move the screen to engulf the injector inthe inner bore. As this is done, the screen itself is heated, as itmoves in the forward direction P past the external heater 62 and as theinjector is advanced within.

With respect to the illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 12a , once thedelivery ports 44 are inserted to a depth past the screening componentsto be coated, the coating material is introduced from the delivery portsand is spread over the inner wall. Simultaneously, the screen is movedin the reverse direction R by the drive mechanism such that the injectoris withdrawn from the inner bore as the coating material is applied andspread along a length of the screen. Excess coating material may bescraped from the inner wall and/or outer surface of the screen.

While the coating can be applied as the injector is run into the innerbore, this may not be entirely desirable if there is a risk of themovement of the injector damaging the coating as it is withdrawn outpast the applied coating.

If desired, the driver can also be operated to rotate the screen aboutits long axis as the coating material is applied. This rotation mayreduce pooling and loss of coating material by gravity.

With respect to the illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 12b , once thespray head 72 is inserted to a depth where the screening components tobe coated begin, the coating material is introduced from the ports 74and is sprayed over the inner wall. Simultaneously, the screen is movedin the forward direction P by the driver such that the injectorcontinues to advance within the inner bore as the coating material issprayed along a length of the screen. In addition to spraying, thecoating material may be further distributed on to the inner tubular wallby a spreader. Alternatively or additionally, excess coating materialmay be scraped from the inner wall and/or outer surface of the screen.Once a desired length of the inner tubular wall has been coated withcoating material, the screen is moved in the reverse direction R by thedriver such that the injector is withdrawn from the inner bore. In afurther embodiment, the spray head sprays additional coating materialover the previously coated section of the screen during the withdrawalof the injector. Alternatively, the inner bore is only sprayed withcoating material during the withdrawal of the injector.

In a still further embodiment, the spray head is rotated about theinjector's long axis by the motor 78 while spraying coating material onto the inner tubular wall. If desired, the driver can also be operatedto rotate the screen about its long axis as the coating material isapplied. Alternatively, the coating material may be sprayed on to theinner bore of a rotating screen without any rotational movement of thespray head.

The conditions of the coating materials and receiving surface of thescreen and speed of screen movement are selected to ensure properplacement and set up of the coating material. For example, using wax,the temperatures of the wax and screen are selected to avoid the waxfrom dripping directly out of the screen and to avoid the wax fromimmediately setting up (before it can be spread and/or driven into thescreening components) and the speed of pulling the screen off theinjector is selected with consideration of the foregoing.

Wellbore screens can take many forms. As noted above, in one form of awellbore screen the wall of the screen is substantially entirely formedof screening component. The wall includes screen material held betweenend fittings. The screen material may take various forms and is usuallysupported in some way, as by a perforated sleeve. These screens filterfluids passing through the screen material layer either into or out ofthe screen inner bore.

In another form, the one termed the cartridge-type screen, the wall ofthe screen is a base pipe that has a plurality of discreet filtercartridges supported therein. The filter cartridges are mounted inopenings through the base pipe that forms the wall. The filtercartridges screen fluids passing through the openings into the base pipefor pumping or flow up hole. Of course, the openings may be formedand/or employed to also permit flow of fluids outwardly therethroughfrom the inner diameter of the base pipe.

While the wellbore screen treated in the present invention can take manyforms, one type of wellbore screen is disclosed here for clarity.Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, a wellbore screen is shown including aperforated wall with fluid passages therethrough, which is illustrativeof a cartridge-type screen. A cartridge-type screen includes a base pipe10 including substantially circular such as circular or ovoid openings 5that extend from the base pipe inner bore surface 16 to the base pipeouter surface 18 and a filter cartridge 12 is supported in each opening.Such a screen is durable and is useful in various wellbores operationssuch as those for water production, water/steam injection, oil and/orgas production, etc. The filter cartridges permit fluid flow through theopenings into or out of the base pipe, but the integrity of the basepipe provides the screen with increased durability and strength notachievable in screens with walls entirely formed of screeningcomponents.

The filter cartridge 12 useful in a wellbore screen can include a filtermedia 20. In one embodiment, the filter cartridge can also include oneor more retainer plates positioned about the filter media. In oneembodiment, as illustrated, the filter cartridge includes an exteriorretainer plate 22, an interior retainer plate 24 and filter media 20contained therebetween. In one embodiment, the exterior retainer plateand the interior retainer plate may be coupled to one another by any ofa plurality of methods, such as adhesives, welding, screws, bolts,plastic deformation and so on. In another embodiment, the retainerplates are not secured together but held in position by their mountingin the base pipe.

If used, the exterior retainer plate and the interior retainer plate maycontain one or more apertures 26 through which fluid may flow, arrow F.Exterior retainer plate 22 and interior retainer plate 24 may beconstructed of any suitable material, such as plastic, aluminum, steel,ceramic, and so on, with consideration as to the conditions in whichthey must operate.

Filter media 20 of the filter cartridge can be any media, such asincluding a layer of compressed fiber, woven media, ceramic and/orsinter disk that is capable of operating in wellbore conditions. Thefilter media must be permeable to selected fluids such as one or more ofsteam, stimulation fluids, oil and/or gas, while able to excludeoversized solid matter, such as sediments, sand or rock particles. Ofcourse, certain solids may be permitted to pass, as they do not presenta difficulty to the wellbore operation. Filter media can be selected toexclude particles greater than a selected size, as desired. The presentscreen can employ one or more layers or types of filter media. In oneembodiment, a filter media including an inner woven screen, an outerwoven screen and a fibrous material is used. In another embodiment, afilter cartridge may include a single layer of filter media, as shown inFIG. 14, to facilitate manufacture. Sintered material may be useful as asingle layer filter media.

Openings 5 may be spaced apart on the base pipe wall such that there arechambers of solid wall therebetween. The openings extend through thebase pipe sidewall and may each be capable of accommodating a filtercartridge 12. The filter cartridges can be mounted in the openings byvarious methods including welding, threading, etc. In one embodiment, atleast some filter cartridges may be installed by taper lock fit into theopenings. In such an embodiment, each of the filter cartridge and theopening into which it is to be installed may be substantially oppositelytapered along their depth so that a taper lock fit can be achieved. Forexample, the effective diameter of the opening adjacent the base pipe'souter surface 18 may be greater than the effective diameter of theopening adjacent inner bore surface 16 and cartridge 12 inner endeffective diameter, as would be measured across plate 24 in theillustrated embodiment, may be less than the effective diameter at theouter end of filter cartridge 12 and greater than the opening effectivediameter adjacent inner bore surface 16, so that the filter cartridgemay be urged into a taper lock arrangement in the opening. Inparticular, the outer diameter of the filter cartridge can be tapered toform a frustoconical (as shown), frustopyramidal, etc. shape and thiscan be fit into the opening, which is reversibly and substantiallycorrespondingly shaped to engage the filter cartridge when it is fittherein. In one embodiment for example, the exterior retainer plate mayexceed the diameter of the interior retainer plate of the filtercartridge. Of course, the filter cartridge may be tapered from its innersurface to its outer surface in a configuration that is frustoconical,frustopyramidal, and so on and the openings of the base pipe may betapered correspondingly so that their diameter adjacent the inner boresurface is greater than that adjacent the side wall outer surface, ifdesired. However, installation may be facilitated by use of an inwardlydirected taper, as this permits the filter cartridges to be installedfrom the base pipe outer surface and forced inwardly.

The filter cartridges may be secured in the base pipe openings by any ofvarious means. For example, in one embodiment, the filter cartridge maybe press-fit into the opening of the base pipe. In another embodiment,the filter cartridge may be secured to the opening of the base pipe byan adhesive 28 (for example epoxy), by welding, by soldering, by plasticdeformation of the base pipe over the cartridge, by holding or forcingthe cartridge into engagement behind a retainer or extension over of theopening and so on, at one or more of the interface points between thefilter cartridge and the base pipe. A seal, such as an o-ring, may beprovided between the filter cartridge and the opening, if desired.

In a wellbore screen, as shown, the coating applied by the apparatus andmethod may form a selectively openable impermeable layer 30 relative toat least some of the plurality of openings. The impermeable layer can benormally closed and when closed is impermeable to solid matter as wellas substantially impermeable to fluid flow, such as any or all ofwellbore fluids, drilling fluids, injection fluids, etc. Impermeablelayer 30, however, can be selectively opened at a selected time, such aswhen the screen is in a selected position downhole, such as when it isin a finally installed position.

The impermeable layer may act at one or a plurality of openings to plugfluid flow therethrough. As described above, the impermeable layer willbe positioned to infiltrate into filter media 20 from the inner diameterside. The impermeable layer may serve to cover/block/plug the openingsand the filter cartridge in order to prevent the flow of fluidtherethrough and/or to prevent access of solids to the filter media,until the impermeable layers are selectively opened.

The impermeable layer may be opened to permit fluid flow once thewellbore screen is in position down hole. The method of opening can varybased on the material of the impermeable layer, and may include pressurebursting and/or removal by solubilization, melting, etc. as by acid,caustic or solvent circulation, temperature sensitive degradation, andso on.

In one application, a wellbore screen including impermeable layersrelative to its openings, may be useful to increase buoyancy of thescreen during installation, which is useful in horizontal installations.The impermeable layer also resists plugging of the openings, which canresult for example from the rigors of running in. In anotherapplication, the impermeable layers are used to selectively allow flowalong or from a certain section of the wellbore, while flow is blockedthrough other openings. In yet another application, a wellbore screenincluding impermeable layers relative to its openings, may be useful toallow fluid circulation through the screen during run in, which reduceshole stuck and cave in problems. Removable layers in the screeningcomponents also permit drilling of the screen into the hole, as by linerdrilling. In such an application, the impermeable layers can be selectedto hold the pressures encountered during drilling, for example,pressures of a few hundred psi. In such an embodiment, the impermeablelayers will be present to plug the openings at least when the wellborescreen is being run down hole so that the wellbore screen may be drilleddirectly into the hole. Once the screen is drilled into position, theimpermeable layers may be opened, as by residence time at wellboreconditions, circulating fluids to breakdown and remove the coatingmaterial (i.e. circulating heated fluids to melt the coating material)or bursting with application of fluid pressure above that which thelayers can hold.

Depending on the application, it may be useful to seal all of theopenings of a wellbore screen or it may be useful to block only certainof the openings, while others are left open. In another embodiment, itmay be useful to use selected materials to form the impermeable layerson a first group of openings while another impermeable layer material isused over the openings of a second group so that some openings within aliner, for example those of the first group, can be opened while others,for example the openings of the second group, remain closed until it isdesired to remove or break open that impermeable material.

One or more impermeable layers can be used, as desired. The layers maybe positioned to provide protection to certain filter cartridgecomponents.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentinvention. Various modifications to those embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to beaccorded the full scope consistent with the claims, wherein reference toan element in the singular, such as by use of the article “a” or “an” isnot intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated,but rather “one or more”. All structural and functional equivalents tothe elements of the various embodiments described throughout thedisclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinaryskill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the elements of theclaims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicatedto the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitlyrecited in the claims. For US patent properties, it is noted that noclaim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 USC 112,sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using thephrase “means for” or “step for”.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for treating a wellbore screen with a coatingmaterial, the apparatus comprising: a support for the wellbore screen,the support supporting an outer surface of the wellbore screen andpresenting the wellbore screen with open access to its inner bore, asdefined by an inner tubular wall of the wellbore screen; an elongateinjector for injecting coating material into the inner bore of thewellbore screen, the elongate injector including a supported end, adistal end including an injector head having a port formed therein and acoating material delivery line extending through the elongate injectorfrom a coating material supply to the port at the distal end; a spreaderring configured for urging against the inner tubular wall, for spreadingthe coating material introduced from the port onto the inner tubularwall and into a screening component of the wellbore screen; a heatingelement on the distal end of the elongate injector for heating thecoating material passing through the coating material delivery line; anda driver for positioning the elongate injector into the inner bore andmoving the elongate injector through the inner bore to introduce thecoating material to the inner bore such that the coating material can bedistributed onto the inner tubular wall of the wellbore screen.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the driver comprises a drive mechanismcomprising a fitting for engaging one end of the wellbore screen, andthe inner bore is accessible by the elongate injector at at least theother end of the wellbore screen.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, whereinthe drive mechanism further comprises a motor, a sprocket, and a chainor a belt, and the chain or belt is meshed with the sprocket, rotationalmovement of which is controlled by the motor.
 4. The apparatus of claim3, wherein the fitting is connected to the chain or belt such that thefitting is moved along a long axis of the support from the rotationalmovement of the sprocket.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein thefitting comprises a rotator component for rotating the wellbore screenabout its long axis.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the drivemechanism further comprises a plurality of rollers on which the wellborescreen is supported.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deliveryline comprises an inner tube and an outer tubing, an outer surface ofthe outer tubing having boom supports for supporting the elongateinjector along its length.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein anannulus is formed between an outer surface of the inner tube and aninner surface of the outer tubing, and the heating element is disposedin the annulus for heating the delivery line.
 9. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the coating material supply comprises an extruder and anauger for delivering the coating material into the delivery line. 10.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elongate injector furthercomprises a member for wiping off excess coating material.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the injector head is selectively rotatableabout a long axis of the elongate injector.
 12. The apparatus of claim1, further comprising an external heater positioned substantiallyconcentrically about the distal end for heating the wellbore screen fromthe outer surface.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising asecond spreader ring spaced from the spreader ring and the port opens onthe injector head in a position between the spreader ring and the secondspreader ring.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the port is one ofa plurality of ports on the injector head spaced around a circumferenceof the injector head.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprisingan annulus within the injector head between the delivery line and theplurality of ports through which the coating material is distributedfrom the delivery line to the plurality of ports.